Shoe-polishing apparatus



May-4,1926 1,583,065

- N. s. MILLER SHOE POLISHING ABPARATUS Filed April 18. 1922 e Sheets-Sheet 1 May 4 1926. 1,583,065

- N MILLER SHOE POLISHING APPARATUS I Filed April 18L 1922. 6 Shd ets-Sheet 2 'ln'uerzZor F rltltlilllilllllllllol:

N. s. MILLER SHOE POLISHJLNG APPARATUS May 4,1926

6 Sheet-Sheet 5 Filed April 18. 1922 lllllrllll May 4, 1926. 1,583,065

N. s. MILLER SHOE POLISHING APPARATUS N. MILLER SHOE PQLISHING APPARATUS Filed April 18. 192 s Shets-Sheet e Patented May 4, 1926.

1,583,065, UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE...

NICHOLAS s. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLI oIs, 'assrenon To. JOSEPH BONDI, or

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOE-POLISHING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 554,763.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS S. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Shoe-Polishing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to time and labor saving equipment adapted for use in the polishing of shoes, and is particularly concerned with the provision, in a shoe polishing apparatus, of the hereinafter delineated cooperating features of improved construction, arrangement and operation.

One object of this invention is the provision of a shoe polishing machine having seat and foot rest portions which are adapted to be raised or lowered in unison and with a movement characterized by a gradual acceleration and retardation at its commencement and completion respectively whereby the customer supported by the chair and foot rests is moved into the desired position quickly without any sudden starting or stopping jars. 1

Another object of the invention is the elimination, in such a machine, of exposed cross-connections between the seat portion of the apparatus and the foot rest portions, and the provision instead of novel connecting means therebetween which transmit any downward force applied to either or both of the foot rest portions of the apparatus to the chair portion axially as distinguished from torsionally.

A further object of the invention is the provision,.in such a machine, of improved means for automatically bringing the chair and foot rest portions to rest at the comple tion of their upward or downward movement.

A still further object of the invention is the provision, in such a machine, of improved means for varying the height of either or both of the foot rest portions of the apparatus relative to the chair portion.

The machine of this invention is also char acterized by the provision of improved means both for throwing into and out of operation its rotary brush, and for varying the speed of rotation of the brush while the same is in operation.

Vhile the foregoing statements are indicative in a general way of the nature of the present invention, other-objects and ads vantages not herein specifically referred to,

will be obvious upon. a full understanding ofthe construction, arrangement and operation of the machine.

Although the present disclosure is limited to one particular embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that this. con. struction is chosen primarily for the purpose of exemplificat-ion. and that. the invention is capable of embodiment in other slightly modified forms which would fall fairly within the scope: of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

111* the drawings- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

Fig.

tions of the seat and the foot rests;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the same;v

Fig. 4 is a side elevationof the mechanism within the cabinet, showing the Walls of the cabinet in section;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the same Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the same;

Fig. 7 is a. fragmentary elevation of the mechanism, showing the device for automatically throwing the seat-operating mechanism out of operation when the seat reaches its fully raised or fully lowered posit-ions;

2 is a side elevation of the same, showlng, 1n dottedlines, the elevated posi-v Fig. 8'is a fragmentary partiallyv sectioned elevation of the mechanism, showing the. power tlZtIlSHllSSlOH of] the polishing brush shaft; and

Fig. 9 is a partially sectioned view of the.

rotary polishing brush, showing its connection with the flexible brush shaft.

Referring now with more detail to. the drawings, it will be noted that the apparatus of this invention is associated with a cabinet 10 formed preferably with a high rear portion 11 and a low front portion 12-.

.The top of the rear portion 11 is provided,

intermediate its edges, with an aperture 13 through which a vertically movable seat' standard 14: freely passes; and the top of the front portion 12 is provided, at spaced points, with two elongatedapertures occupied by two vertically movable foot rests 15 when in their lowered positions. A flexible brush carrying shaft 16 encased'in a flexible tube 17 extends horizontally. through an aperture 18 in the front wall of the low front portion 12 of the cabinetlO.

The seat standard 14 referred to is rigidly carried within the cabinet on a crosshead 19 which is mounted for vertical movement on two spaced guide rods 20, and is provided, above the casing at its upper extremity with a bracket 21 which has secured thereto the seat 22 of a chair 23.

The foot rests 15 referred to are carried on rods 24 which telescope within the bores of vertically movable foot rest standards 25.

The rods 24 may be adjustably positionedv lengthwise of the standards 25 by means of hand levers 26 which are pivoted on the sides of the standards and provided with eccentric cams 27 held normally in frictional engagement with the rods by the action of springs 28 whereby to prevent movement of the rods relative to the standards except when the hand levers are operated to release the frictional engagement. The standards 25 are mounted for vertical movement in the channels of guide brackets 29 located within the cabinet below the foot rest apertures, and are connected to the cross-head 19 by means of chains 30 which extend from the bottom of the standards 25 vertically upwards over pulleys 31 at the tops of the brackets, then obliquely downwards on the pulleys 32 adjacent the bottoms of the guide rods, and then upwards again to points on the cross-head 19, whereby when the crosshead with its associated seat 22 is raised or lowered the foot rests 15 will be raised or lowered in synchronism and without any stresses on the seat assembly other than those applied thereto in the direction of its movement.

The means acting on the cross-head 19 of the seat assembly to raise or lower both the seat and the foot rests will now be described, reference being had particularly to Figs. 4 to 8 of the drawings. The power source employed is preferably an electric motor 33 which is disposed within the cabinet and provided with a suitably supported drive shaft 34: carrying a small pinion 35. The pinion 35 meshes with a large gear 36 which is carried on a short shaft 37 journalled in a bushing 38. The shaft 37 and the bushing 38 are supported in a bracket 39 and are adapted to shift axially thereof. A shaft 10 is aligned with the shaft 37 and engages with that shaft through clutch elements 41 carried by the adjacent ends of both shafts. The shaft 40, which is shiftable axially into clutched engagement with the shaft 37 by means of a collar 42 grooved to receive a shift pin 43, is provided with a worm 4 1 which is splined to the shaft but held from shifting with the same by the provision of thrust bearings contained in a yoke bracket 15. A large worm wheel 46 meshes with the worm 4st and is carried on one end of a short shaft a7 journalled in a large bracket 48. The other end of the shaft 47 is provided with a crank arm 49 which, in its unidirectional revolution about the aXis of the shaft 47, bears against anunder horizontal edge 50 of the cross-head 19 and reciprocatcs vertically the seat assembly with a movement in each direction characterized, at its commencement, with an acceleration, and, at its completion, with a retardation, whereby the person being raised or lowered is moved int-o the desired positions smoothly with a total absence of starting or stopping jars.

The means for shifting the shaft 40 into is horizontally slidable in guides and can rics, at one of its ends, the previously 1nen tioned shift pin 43, whereby when the foot lever 51 is depressed the shaft 40 is shifted into clutched engagement with the shaft 37. A spring 56 acts on the bar 55, as shown in Fig. 7. to nnclutch the shafts 37 and 40, and is maintained inoperative to so function when the seat is being raised or lowered by means of a pawl 57 which springs into a notch 58 in the bar 55 when the bar is shifted to effect the clutched engagement.

lVhen the seat. assembly has reached its fully raised or fully lowered position one of two lugs 59 carried on the face of the worm wheel 46 contacts with the pawl 57, springing the nose thereof out of the notch in the bar and permitting the shafts 37 and -10 to unclutch through the retractive action of the spring 56.

The flexible brush shaft 16 referred to is connected interiorly of the casing to a horizontally disposed transmission shaft 60 which has splined thereon an axially shiftable friction wheel 61. This friction wheel co-acts with the adjacent friction face 62 of the continuously driven gear wheel 36 to drive the flexible shaft 16, and is shiftable on its shaft radially of the gear wheel 36 to obtain any desired speed of rotation for the polishing brush. It has been previously mentioned that the gear wheel 36 and its shaft 37 and bearing member 38 are shiftable axially. This is for the purpose of entirely disconnecting, when desired, the friction drive above described. The means for shifting the shaft includes a pin 63 which is carried by the bearing member 38 and projects upwardly through an obliquely disposed cam slot in the bearing bracket. By moving this pin against the action of a spring 64. and in a direction transversely of v justably secured armv 67 adapted to operate gagement with the friction wheel. A bracket 65 is pivoted at its bottom on a stub shaft 66, and is provided at itstop with an adthe 'pin 63 when the bracket is tilted on the shaft 66. The bracket 65 is formed above its pivoting axis with two spaced aperture ears 68 through which a rod 6 9'freelypasses. The rod 69 connects forwardly of the bracket 65 with a long control handle 70 which projects through a vertical, spring friction guide 71 at the front of the cabinet.

lVhen the handle 70 is in its low position in the guide 71 the flexible shaft 16 will be rotated through the friction wheel drive, and when the handle '70 is raised to its high position the rotation of the flexible shaft will be discontinued.

The shifting of the friction wheel 61 along its shaft to vary the speed of rotation of the flexible shaft is controlled by an inward and outward movement of the handle 7 0 when in its low position. The friction wheel 61 has associated therewith a grooved collar 72 in which a shifting yoke 73 rides. The yoke in turn is carried on a small rod 74 which is journalled in two spaced apertures of a bracket supporting the shaft 60 of the friction wheel. An arm 75 is secured to the rod 69 and connects with one end of the short rod 74 through a link membe 76, whereby when the handle 70 is shifte inwardly or outwardly a corresponding movement of the friction wheel will take place radially of the gear wheel 36.

The flexible shaft 16 is provided, at its free end, with a handle 77, and with means at the outer end of the handle for detachably securing to the flexible shaft a rotary polishing brush 78. A collar 79 on the end of the flexible shaft is provided with a spring pressed pawl 80 and a control button arrangement therefor whereby one brush may be quickly removed from the shaft and another substituted.

The circuit of the motor 33 may be advantageously controlled from a switch 81 located in the front wall of the cabinet. Brush holding pegs 82 may also be advantageously positioned on this wall of the cabinet for supporting the polishing brushes 78 not in use.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, and mechanism for raising and lowering the same including a constant speed prime mover, said mechanism imparting to the seat a variable movement in either direction characterized by an acceleration and a retardation at its commencement and completion respectively.

2. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, and mechanism for raising and lowering the'same including a crank -1nember mov ng arcuately In a straight guide to effect Wltll a constant movement of the crank member a variable movement of the guide. 3. In an apparatus of the character set" forth, a seat, and mechanism for raisingand lowering the same including vertical guide means, a cross head vertically movable in the guide means and connected to the seat, and a crank member moving arcuately against a substantially horizontal surface of the cross head to raise the same and" the seat connected thereto.

4. In an apparatus of the character forth, a seat, and mechanism for raising and lowering the same including in the power train a prime mover, a worm movable with the prime mover, a worm gear in engagement with the worm, and a coupling between the seat and the worm gear having an eccentric connection with the worm gear.

'5. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, and mechanism for raising and lowering the same including a crank member moving arcuately in a straight guide, and a worm drive for operating the crank member whereby to prevent retrograde movement of the member by the application of force to the guide.

6. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, mechanism for raising and lowering the same, continuously movin means for operating the mechanism, and

means acting automatically to disconnect the said mechanism from the said operating means when the seat reaches its fully raised or fully lowered position.

7. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, mechanism for raising and lowering the same, afoot rest adapted to be raised and lowered in synchronism with the seat, and connecting means between the foot rest and the seat arranged to transmit all forces from one to the other solely in a vertical direction whereby to eliminate the application of angular leverage on the connecting means.

8. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, mechanism for raising and lowering the same, two foot rests adapted to be raised and lowered in synchronism with the seat, and independent connecting means between each of the foot rests and the seat arranged to transmit all forces from either of the foot rests to the seat'solely in a vertical direction whereby to eliminate the application of angular leverage on the connecting means.

9. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a seat, mechanism for raising and lowering the same, a foot rest adapted to be raised and lowered in synchronism with the seat, connecting means between the foot rest and the seat, stationary means for vertically guiding the seat, and stationary means inde set pendent of the seat-guiding means for ver tically guiding the foot rest.

10.. In an apparatus of the character .set forth, a seat, mechanism for raising and lowering the same, two foot rests adapted to be raised and lowered in synchronism with the seat, flexible connecting means between.

the foot rests and the seat, means for vertically guiding the seat, and means independent of the seat-guiding means for vertically guiding each of the foot rests independently of the other.

11. In an apparatus of the character set forth, a vertically movable seat, a rotary polishing brush shaft, unitary means for operating both the seat and the shaft through a common power train, and means operable to discontinue the movement of the necting the worm with the prime mover, a

worm gear in engagement with the worm, a connection between the worm gear and the seat whereby to translate the rotary movement of the gear to a straight movement of the seat, and means acting automatically when the seat has reached the top or bottom of its travel to disconnect the clutch.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

NICHOLAS S. MILLER. 

